Skip to main content
HR 4170 112th Congress House Education Defense spending Education programs funding Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Government lending and loan guarantees Health care coverage and access Health personnel Higher education Interest, dividends, interest rates Medical education Military operations and strategy Student aid and college costs

Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012

Introduced: March 29, 2012 See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 112th Congress ended
It never became law before the 112th Congress (2011–2012) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 5 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 29, 2012
Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
Mar 23, 2012
Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
Mar 8, 2012
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Mar 8, 2012
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1291)
Mar 8, 2012
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan that allows borrowers of Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Direct Loans (DLs) to limit their monthly payment on such loans to one-twelfth of 10% of the amount by which their adjusted gross income and that of their spouse (if applicable) exceeds 150% of the federal poverty level.

Requires the Secretary of Education to determine a borrower's repayment obligation under that plan on a case-by-case basis if the repayment formula would result in the borrower paying nothing and the borrower is not in deferment due to an economic hardship.

Establishes a 10/10 Loan Forgiveness Program that provides FFEL and DL forgiveness to borrowers who, after the date that is 10 years before the date of this Act's enactment, have made 120 monthly payments under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan or under another repayment plan that required them to make payments at least as large as those they would have made under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan.

Credits the months during which an individual is in deferment due to an economic hardship as months for which payment was made for purposes of the 10/10 Loan Forgiveness Program.

Caps the amount of loan forgiveness that the program will provide to individuals who become new borrowers after this Act's enactment.

Caps the interest rate on new DLs at 3.4%

Amends the public service employee loan forgiveness program to forgive the DLs of participants who have made 60 (currently, 120) monthly payments on such loans pursuant to specified repayment plans.

Includes primary care physicians in medically underserved areas in the public service employee loan forgiveness program.

Allows certain borrowers to consolidate their private education loans as Direct Consolidation Loans, provided the private loans were made on or before the date of this Act's enactment.

Limits such borrowers to those who: (1) were students eligible for unsubsidized Stafford loans or PLUS loans under the FFEL or DL programs for their enrollment at an institution of higher education, or would have been had they been enrolled on at least a half-time basis; (2) borrowed at least one private education loan for such enrollment; and (3) have an average adjusted gross income that does not exceed their total education debt.

Caps the interest rate on those Direct Consolidation Loans at 3.4%

Requires borrowers to apply for such loans within one year of this Act's enactment.

Funds this Act's programs from funds available for Overseas Contingency Operations.

What's happening now March 29, 2012

Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 5
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4170: Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012. 112th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-4170/
MLA
"H.R. 4170: Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012." 112th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-4170/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4170, 112th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-4170/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4170: Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012](https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-4170/)
Report a problem